Sometimes I Scare Myself...

A couple days ago I was in Aldi grocery store, just me and the two kiddos. We had just walked in when Ashton informed me that he needed to go to the bathroom. As you know, the store isn't that big, but the bathroom was in the furthest corner from where we were. So instead of dodging the after-work dinner rush with my cart in tow, I decided to park the cart in a less-populated corner so I could get Ashton to the bathroom before an accident happened! On the way to the bathroom I began to picture how I was going to go in with/help Ashton while also holding Sadie. Then it dawned on me -- where's Sadie? I turned around completely baffled as to where she had gone! There she was -- sitting in the top portion of the neatly-parked shopping cart, with her neck craned to see where we were going! I was embarrassed and horrified as I backtracked to retreive my other child. :)

What could be worse?

I'll tell you -- doing it a second time. Today we were in JCPenney's when Ashton again let me know he needed to use the restroom. Once again, I parked the Sadie-bearing-stroller in a remote corner outside the women's restroom and was on my way inside (after all I have not had to deal with an Ashton-accident in public and I want it to stay that way!) when Ashton asked, "Sadie come in too?" Without missing a beat I made a U-turn and shook my head in disbelief over my terrible parenting, thankful that Ashton was on top of things!

And to think: I'd just decided I was willing to have more kids...

As For Me and My House...

I started reading Desperate Households by Kathy Peel after seeing it suggested in my Marriage Partnership magazine. It touches different sometimes-chaotic subjects that often cause women stress (i.e. cleaning, organizing, morning-time frenzy, dinner-time, etc.). In the process it helps you prioritize your life and find a balance. Since I had already re-checked the book out from the library two times other than the original checkout, and since I don't foresee any extra leisure-reading time in the near future (the Bible study by Beth Moore is doing a good job of keeping me busy), I returned the book to the library even though I wasn't finished.

So here I am jotting down the few notes I took from the book.

The following activities invigorate me:

• Decorating
• Landscaping
• Finances/Accounting
• Helping out behind the scenes
• Cleaning others' areas
• Organizing spaces

Important to me, in descending order (but all still important enough to make it on the list):

• Spiritual growth
• Fulfilling marriage
• Loving relationship with my children
• Good friends
• Travel
• Fun and recreation
• Financial security
• A loving extended family
• Clean and organized home

"Kids won't remember if their home was always perfectly clean, but they will remember if Mom was a fun person." How do I want my children to remember me and the atmosphere of our home? This challenges me because I often find myself cutting coupons, picking up, cleaning, etc. before I play...and this can be a never-ending job! I want balance.

Aaron is the CEO of our family, and I am the family manager. I've created a mission statement for myself, to remind me of my priorities and help me make decisions. My mission statement:

To create a home that nurtures relationships, provides a safe, welcoming retreat from the outside, and is pleasantly orderly and under control.

3: The Age of Questions

I realize Ashton has a lot to learn at the ripe young age of 3, but all the "whys" are almost enough to make me lose my mind. Yesterday I answered one of his questions with, "I don't know." (Sometimes I really don't know; sometimes I want to nip the conversation in the bud.) Ashton followed up in his whining voice with, "Why don't you know, Mommy?" Aghh!!!

Sadie Walks!

I feel as though the first day Sadie "walked" was Wednesday May 28th. One week shy of being 11 months old, she actually walked away from me, instead of her couple steps toward me she had been doing (with great coaxing) for about a week. It caught me off guard and surprised me when on her own initiative she turn around and went away from me without trying to grab my finger and pull me along! Every day she gets a little better at walking, now going up to 5 feet at a time.